TrojanNYC.com

Transfer: Former USC Linebacker Jarvis Jones Picks Home-State Georgia Bulldogs

From OnlineAthens.com:

Jones, who was given his release by Southern California after a neck/spine injury sustained last season as a freshman, was cleared by Georgia’s medical staff during a campus visit today.

Georgia is likely to seek a medical waiver that would allow him to play this season, according to Carver coach Dell McGee.

“He didn’t willingly leave Southern Cal,” McGee said. “It was considered medical in nature. They didn’t clear him to play. I’m under the assumption that he’s going to be able to play. Georgia is probably going to ask for an appeal to play.”

Best of luck to Jarvis.

Transfer: Jarvis Jones Asks and Receives Release from USC

From OCRegister.com:

Jones missed the final five games of his freshman season and all of spring practice because of a neck injury that Trojans coach Lane Kiffin described as career-threatening.

Jones never received clearance to practice. The fact that he has elected to transfer suggests a disagreement between him and USC’s medical staff over the severity of the injury.

Jones told Rivals.com that a specialist and other outside doctors cleared him to play but USC’s doctors wouldn’t, so he had to “find a place I can play.” USC’s medical staff typically errs on the side of caution when it comes to career- or life-threatening injuries.

I can definitely understand both sides.  Wish Jarvis the best of luck.  He definitely showed his talent his freshman year and has the potential to be a great player wherever he goes.

TNYC: Random Thoughts From Week 1

USC Thoughts:

- Passing game looked horrid in the 1st quarter, but the running game was solid from the start.  Joe deserves to be the feature-back despite his inability to hold onto the ball.  He's too big of a gamebreaker to take off the field and Coach Carroll knows it.

- Continuing on the topic of running backs, you know I had a big smile on my face when Allen Bradford came into the game.  I felt vindicated for all those posts questioning his lack of PT.  He looked great on the toss-sweeps.

- Stafon continues to be my favorite back with his overlooked ability to create holes out of nothing.  His run in the red-zone in the 2nd quarter where he spun off two defenders in the backfield then juked another two to pick up 6 yards was one of the best plays of the day.  He is the most complete back on this team.

- I didn't see enough from Barkley to really judge his performance.  It's no knock on him, but the fact is, you could have put any above-average QB in the same position and gotten the same results.  Bates called a nice conservative game; I don't think there was a bootleg or play-action play where Barkley didn't have a clear underneath option.  Until Matt starts throwing between the hash-marks (i.e. Ohio State), it's hard to really say anything about his performance.

- Defense looked great.  The D-Line looks entirely different from last year; Coach Jethro Franklin has these guys playing on a whole different level.  Last year, you often saw our d-line popping up at the point of attack; this game the D-line was cutting through the gaps with ease.  The players have been talking about Coach Franklin's emphasis on technique and so far it shows.

- Chris Galippo had a great debut.  He really seemed to be around the ball on every play in the backfield. As for the other linebackers, Michael Morgan took some bad angles, which he needs to fix before he lines up against Terrelle Pryor. Malcolm Smith looked great sideline-to-sideline.

- It seems like TE play is going to be a BIG part of the offense this year.  I really like our current group of Anthony McCoy, Blake Ayles, and Rhett Ellison, they all bring a different style to the table.

- Jarvis Jones and Devon Kennard had great games.  Kennard played very disciplined for a freshman.  I love the fact that he doesn't over-pursue on the ball and understands his assignments.  There was one play in particular where the SJ State RB took a normal hand-off, but Devon read the potential fake and contained the outside for a moment before pursuing the ball-carrier for a TFL.  Might not have seemed like much, but it shows his level of maturity.

- Hit of the day goes to D.J. Shoemate (not Jarvis Jones!) on his special teams de-cleater.

General CFB Thoughts:

- Washington and Tennessee look like entirely different programs with Sark and Kiffin.  The Huskies kept it real close with LSU down to the end and Tennessee ran all over Western Kentucky.  Both teams had a clear swagger about them that is radically different from anything seen last year.

- On the topic of the Washington game, Patrick Peterson of LSU is flat out the best corner in the land.  If you recruiting freaks remember, he went by a different name, Patrick Johnson, during his recruitment.  He came out to SC during the Rising Stars camp and tore up the competition.  SC was in it for a while, but in the end it came down to Miami and LSU.

- Tennessee has a real impressive running game.  I said earlier in the year that Bryce Brown is the #1 player in the 2009 class and he lived up to the hype on Saturday looking quick and tough on his runs. Behind Bryce, David Oku also looks like another star.  As for their game against UCLA on Saturday, it should come down to whether the Bruins can control the line of scrimmage on the defensive side of the ball.  UT's line was opening holes for Hardesty, Brown, and Oku against WKU, which completely opened the passing the game for Crompton, who is usually terrible.  If UCLA can force UT to pass, the game should be competitive otherwise it'll get real ugly fast. 

- Mark Ingram of Alabama is the best RB in the country IMO.  He reminds me a lot of Knowshon Moreno as a RS-Freshman, the way he runs tough between the tackles and can break it outside.  He looked great last year as a freshman behind Glen Coffee and looks even better this year as the feature back.

- Jacory Harris has turned me into a believer.  Kid is just cool and collected and really seems to understand how to manage the game.  His clutch throw late in the game last night on a corner route was a thing of beauty.

- I hate to admit it, since I'm a big fan of A.J. Green, but Perrish Cox did one hell of a job locking him down on Saturday. Of course the other Cox (Joe Cox) had a big part in that as well, but Perrish played like a potential NFL 1st rounder on Saturday.

- Staying on the Georgia/Oklahoma State game, Dez Bryant continues to amaze me with his ability to find a way to the end-zone.  He was getting double-covered all night yet managed to score 2 TDs off 3 catches. Easily the most dangerous receiver in the nation.

More on Frankie Telfort...

From MiamiHerald.com:

Telfort, 17, has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition that affects one in 500 people and hardens cardiac muscles, restricting blood flow.

"He was actually very lucky,'' said Dr. Steven Lipshultz, chairman of the pediatric department at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine and the principal investigator for the National Cardiomyopathy Registry. ``The routine physicals you get in high school do not identify all athletes or children who are at risk. . . . He didn't just develop this -- it is something that has been there.''

Been too busy to comment on this unfortunate news.  I really feel for Frankie considering he was a model recruit with exceptional talent on the field and excellent grades in the classroom.  Anyone who read my blog back on National Signing Day knows how high I was on Frankie:

With that said, I'm going to go against the grain and trust my gut in choosing Frankie Telfort as the biggest potential gain.  Lot of recruiting analysts criticize him for being undersized, but the movement of weakside LBs seems to be heading towards the even smaller and faster.  And the discussion is likely moot considering SC will probably move him to SS.

Frankie is my favorite recruit in this class.  He's smart on and off the field, comes from the same school that produced Sean Taylor, has exceptional closing speed, and hits like a MLB.

I wish him the best in pursuing his academic dreams of becoming med student and eventual doctor.

Linebacker Depth

As for where it leaves us in terms of depth at the linebacking position, with Luthur Brown also in academic trouble, there is reason to be a bit nervous, but I have full faith in Uona Kaveinga, who looked promising last year, and Jordan Campbell to provide depth.  The coaches can also shift a guy like Will Harris to play a hybrid role or even bring Taylor up to the line and transfer the onus to our excellent secondary.

You also got incoming guys like T.J. McDonald and Jarvis Jones that can definitely step in and play minutes.  We should be fine barring any injuries between now and the start of the season.

Jarvis Jones On Why He Chose USC (Part 2)

From SCPlaybook.com:

“There was a lot of pressure on me to stay home,” Jones said. “It seems like that’s what people wanted me to do, but nobody is gonna go to school for me. They aren’t gonna play football for me. I didn’t want to worry about what other people thought.

“I think I could have done well at any of these schools,” he said. “They are all great programs but they didn’t feel right for me.”

So what was it about USC that felt so right? “Linebacker coach Ken Norton,” Jones said. “Coach Norton is one of the best in the game and I love that he’s gonna be my mentor. I developed a great relationship with him and really wanted to play for him.”

Jones says that coach Norton spent a lot of time discussing his potential future for the Trojans and he liked what he heard. “We talked all the time,” he said. “I like how he’s all about teaching. He really wants to help you be better and he’s always giving you advice on what to do.

“He says I’m gonna be an outside linebacker for them and sees me making a lot of plays for them,” he said. “I think it’ll be great preparation for the next level.”

Jarvis will be real nice at the SLB spot; also think he'd be a nice fit in the middle. Much like Vontaze Burfict, he runs through guys on tackles.  Coach Norton thinks he's just as good as Cush coming out of HS, but we'll see if he has the same type of instincts.

Jarvis Jones On Why He Chose USC

From AJC.com:

Q. Why USC? A. It’s a great program, and I’m going to be coached by a great linebackers coach in [Ken Norton Jr]. He is one of the best to play the game. I’m going to learn how to play football at the next level. And being able to play under coach Pete Carroll is an excellent opportunity. I know they will be able to improve my chances of getting into the NFL, which has always been my dream. It’s every kid’s dream who plays football.

Q. What happened with UGA? A. I just didn’t want to be that close to home. I’m very thankful to UGA for offering me a scholarship and spending so much time with me. It was hard to tell them no because the coaches and I developed a great relationship. It got to a point where we didn’t even talk recruiting. We would just laugh about other stuff, but I knew I couldn’t go wrong at USC.

Sounds a lot like Kyle Moore back in his recruitment.

Jamie Newberg of Rivals.com's Predictions on Manti Te'o and Jarvis Jones

From Rivals.com:

You have to believe USC and Notre Dame are the teams to beat, and I like the Irish's chances. Te'o and his folks love Notre Dame's academics and he could play early in South Bend. In fact, his parents prefer Notre Dame, even visiting the school last month on their own.

...Today, I think Te'o chooses Notre Dame, but that could change with a great visit to USC.

Interesting to hear Manti's parents prefer Notre Dame.  Like I've mentioned before, it's hard to go against Pete Carroll late in the 4th quarter when he has a chance to seal the deal.  Manti was set to arrive today for his official visit and will attend the USC vs. Cal basketball game on Saturday.  

Jamie also has a prediction on Jarvis Jones, a 4-star LB/DE out of Georgia:

While I still believe Florida is the team to beat, there are two schools I would keep a close on eye here – Georgia and USC, especially the Trojans.

USC coach Pete Carroll had a great visit with Jones last week, and Jones really likes new Trojans defensive coordinator Rocky Seto. Jones also is enamored with the idea of playing for USC.

Jarvis will be taking his last official visit to LSU this weekend.